VAX-11 PL/I Installation and System Management Guide

This document, the VAX-11 PL/I Installation and System Management Guide (Order No. AA-J179A-TE, October 1980), serves as a comprehensive manual for system managers and PL/I programmers responsible for installing, maintaining, and migrating to the VAX-11 PL/I compiler (V1.0) on the VAX/VMS V2.0 operating system.

The guide covers three main areas:

1. Installation Procedure: It describes the automated process for installing the VAX-11 PL/I compiler, detailing system requirements (disk space, memory), the contents of the distribution kit (floppy diskettes or tape cassettes), and step-by-step instructions for logging in, using the VMSUPDATE command procedure, inserting media volumes, and handling installation prompts. It also explains how to install the compiler as a "known image" to optimize system overhead and memory.
2. System Management Considerations & Problem Reporting: This section provides information for system managers, including recommended account quotas for PL/I users (open files, paging file, working set size). Crucially, it outlines procedures for determining and reporting problems (bugs or unexpected results) in the PL/I compiler or run-time system to Digital Equipment Corporation using Software Problem Report (SPR) forms, including how to identify internal errors.
3. Migration Notes: It offers guidance for converting PL/I programs from other implementations to VAX-11 PL/I. This includes a comprehensive list of PL/I keywords and built-in functions not supported by VAX-11 PL/I, miscellaneous language differences that require source code modification (e.g., character restrictions, implicit declarations, handling of ON-units), and how VAX-11 PL/I handles implicit data type conversions. It also provides a specific technique for simulating the "REFER" option for BASED structures.